


Ambiguous

by KouUsagi



Category: Animaniacs
Genre: Gen, Identity Issues, Sibling Fluff, i guess you can consider this, nothing but good ol wholesome sibling stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:47:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27837067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KouUsagi/pseuds/KouUsagi
Summary: do cartoons even experience racism & discrimination?
Kudos: 68





	Ambiguous

**Author's Note:**

> probably

The year is 1997 and on the rise, the most famous pop singer of the decade debuted her 6th studio album. She began her career at the beginning of the decade, proclaiming that she began singing before even talking. This beautiful idol sung like an angel, her breathy voice was versatile, agile with a light and airy tone as smooth as butter.

But there was something about this particular pop star that stood out the most and it was her image. Her fair skin tone had most people fooled; at first glance you could easily describe her as a ‘white woman’. However if you further study her features she had slightly fuller lips and her nose was more rounded than pointy, also she had the most beautiful mess of flaxseed curls that just seem to cascade down her shoulders.

Her appearance mainly leaned towards one identity, while the other could easily be over looked. She was born to parents of different racial backgrounds and just happened to come out ambiguous looking. A fair skinned girl, with curly hair. Just how she was supposed to be.

There were times Dot struggled with her own ambiguous identity. It was so easy to play off given her nature, and it wasn’t anything serious, but sometimes…

_"What are you **supposed to be**?"_

_"They're cats!"_

_"I thinks they're bunnies..."_

_"Nah, maybe giant bugs."_

_"Obviously they're puppy children!"_

_"Or maybe monkey kids..."_

It does make you question yourself…

It seemed like the assumptions would never cease, and they probably never would after all they are famous cartoon stars now. In any case, the same would probably go for her favorite pop star as well.

Dot sighed dreamily as she lay on her stomach, head resting in her hands as she watched the VHS cassette tape of her live performance that her brothers got her for Christmas last year. Thanks to Yakko's fluent Japanese and rubbing elbows with international producers at that one party, he was able to get a few favors. Dot was so grateful, but truth be told they were all fans of her in one way or another.

The passion of the singer not only showed through her voice, but also through the way she arranged the melodies and vocal ad-libs and the way she could carry a note, Wakko’s favorite little details, and her lyrics (which she wrote herself), Yakko found that impressive.  
The camera had beautiful close ups of the singer before panning out to her entourage of dancers, band, and backup singers. That’s when Dot began on her own features.

Her ears were pretty bunny like, and they had long tails that resembled cats when they weren’t partly scrunched, their eyes seemed bug like but they weren't any of those things. They were toons. _‘Cartoonus Characterus’._ Just how their creator made them. It wasn’t often that Dot felt so insecure but she was also extremely grateful to have 2 identically ambiguous older brothers to reassure her. They probably understood.

No one’s made to look a certain way on purpose, and if we all looked the same that would be a boring world. It’s ok to be here just as you are. Dot sighed, feeling a bit more content than before.

Wakko happened to make his way into the kitchen when he heard the heavenly voice blaring from the TV. He hummed along to the song before inevitably singing along,  
 _"…Boy, don't you know you can't escape me? / Ooh, darling ‘cause you'll always be my baby..."_  
He rummaged through the fridge until he pulled out a comically huge sub-sandwich that couldn’t possibly have fit in that fridge. 

Dot’s ears suddenly perked upon hearing her brother's thick Scouse accent, and she hopped to her feet and faced him with glee before belting the lead vocal’s climax,  
 _"You and I will always beee..!"_

Wakko couldn't resist singing along with his sister, so he used the sandwich as a microphone and continued on as background vocals,  
 _"..And we'll linger on… / time can't erase a feeling this strong / no way, you're never gonna shake me / ooh darling ‘cause you'll always be my baby..!"_ Dot raced and hugged her brother; he instantly hugged his free arm around her shoulder as she continued her attempt on the climax of the song.

"I like that song. _Shoo, do, do, do, do, do, da…_ " Wakko admitted. He wasn't a fan of pop in general, but he knew talent when he heard it and she was gorgeous! Wakko devoured that comically huge sub-sandwich whole, causing Dot’s face to twist in discomfort. Where the hell does it all go?

The next song of the concert played. A duet.

Dabbing his little mouth with a napkin (because he never forgets his manners), Wakko could just feel remnants of some type of tension. Maybe it was because of the sudden hug he received from his sister, it wasn’t unusual but not so common either.  
"What’s the matter Dot? Something on your mind?"  
Wakko may not have been the brightest crayon, but he could read a room.

She debated on it..."Does it bother you when we're questioned about our 'species'?"

The middle sibling shrugged and replied, "Always thought we were just the Warner brothers-"

"-and the Warner sister!"

"Right! And what's wrong with that?"

"Not a thing!" She grinned, glad someone else was in the room to share her thoughts with,  
"Do you think she still has the same problem, even though she's stated in multiple interviews that she's bi-racial a million times?"

Wakko leaned forward on the back of the couch, eyes transfixed in a dreamy state on the beautiful singer as she effortlessly belted out incredibly high notes, her face barely straining. She made it look so easy. He finally answered her, "Maybe so, but people should just let people exist no matter what they look like or what they are. Who knows what she's gone through to just be herself."

A little shocked to hear her middle brother sound a tad bit mature, she just couldn't agree more. "Like us right?"

He winked at her and gave her thumbs up, "Right!" he smiled with his tongue sticking out from the left corner of his mouth.

The tower door swung open and swooning in with a song was Yakko,  
 _"Treated me kind... / sweet destiny...! / Carried me through desperation..."_ he sang just in time with the TV.  
His younger siblings laughed at his impeccable timing and they both ran up to their older brother and hugged him before the trio completed the verse together,  
 _"to the one that was waiting for me!"_

"Hey guys!" he squeezed them back. Yakko took note of the video of playing, they must have watched that taped concert a hundred times by now, but Yakko didn't mind. He was a huge fan of her comforting (or in some cases romantic) lyrics. As much as Yakko loved her greatest hits, his favorite songs were the ones that didn't get airwave. There were some songs that came from a deeper place, a place of loneliness and uncertainty. He resonated with them through his own insecurities.

"You guys think they still ask her the same question that they ask us?"

" _'What are you?'_ " Dot mockingly chimed in.

The eldest chuckled knowing where she was coming from,  
"That's the one! I mean it's not like it matters, she’s talented, she has the money and she’s sure as hell cute-!"

"Like us! Right?" his younger siblings chirped together.

"Haha, exactly my siblings!" he grinned.

Since the very moment they jumped off paper in 1929, the Warner trio never felt self conscious before, but something about this striking songstress settled within each of them differently.

For Dot it was her physical appearance, as well as her God given talent. She was also a fan of her personality as well; the songstress was also pretty witty with an odd, but delightful sense of humor.

For Wakko it was her voice. She had an incredible range spanning a few octaves, hitting notes so low that sometimes the TV would just about rumble, or hitting notes so high that Wakko once thought his siblings left the tea kettle on the stove.

For Yakko it was what she had to say. Even in the 90s, people were just handed a piece of paper and told to “sing!”. Trust him; they lived on the Warner lot they saw, and unfortunately, heard a lot around here.

Music had a funny way of bringing comfort and people together.

Wakko grew curious, “Where ‘ya been, Yakko? Haven’t seen ‘ya all morning.”

“Well if you must know, I went out to get our baby sister a present for holding out with filming. I know it’s been uuuuh…tiring, to say the least…” they were being overworked to the point where Dot was losing all interest in performing and the brothers would just decide to bail on the whole episode, sister in tow. He also didn’t want to think of the shows bleak near-future.

"Here ‘ya go Dot!" Yakko reached behind and dug around his hammerspace to reveal a brown CD case with the beautiful pop star on the case, her brunette tresses blowing as a single butterfly was perched on her finger. It was her new album that was released only a few hours ago.

Dot took the case and gingerly rubbed her finger over the plastic. Her voice a little choked up, "T-Thank you Yakko!" she looked up at her brother, eyes watery with tears of joy and snot threatening to drip from her little red nose.

Wakko and Yakko both cringed in slight disgust, "Ah-uuuuuhhh I mean, anytime baby sister." Yakko said trying to comfort her so she wouldn't bawl like a baby from gratitude, "but really it's no big deal." he said before quickly wiping her nose with a handkerchief he produced from his hammerspace.  
“We’re just glad you held out with filming.”

"I-I'm just grateful!" she squeaked before squeezing both her brothers in a death grip. "You guys are the best brothers ever!"

They may have been odd looking, or weren't what everyone thought they were, but there was three of them and all they really needed were each other. Like it’s always been.

 _"I'm with you wherever you are... / so don't you ever be lonely!”_ her heavenly voice growled from the TV, _"it's alright, it's alright, it's alright..."_.  
In that moment all three Warner’s simultaneously felt their love for the singer.

The video was almost over with the exception of an encore performance, the encore song is what deemed her the self proclaimed _‘Queen of Christmas.’_

_Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding..._

And then her silky voice began, _"I…don't want a lot for Christmas..."_

The trio waited as she finished her grand build up to a modern holiday classic, _“Make my wish come true… / All I want for Christmas is…you…"_

As the upbeat music picked up the siblings quickly gathered around the TV to belt out from the top of their lungs, _“I don’t want a lot for Christmas / there is just one thing I need!!”_

Christmas wouldn’t be for another three months, but that would never stop them.

**Author's Note:**

> i didn't write this in favor of the holidays but if you happen to be here anyway, have a pleasant holiday.


End file.
